The praise of a lifetime!!!

"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit." - John 3:5

Yesterday was an amazing day for me! I got to see my little boy accept Jesus into his heart and have his sins washed away in baptism. Making this day even more special was being able to see my daddy baptize him just as he had done for myself, my brother and my niece in years past.
As we stood before the entire congregation of Antioch Christian Church where I have attended since I was his age, my little boy told the church members and his peers in no uncertain terms that he wanted to be baptized to "Have his sins washed away, receive eternal salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit". Sound coached to you? Well if you know my Braydon you know it wasn't. He has studied his little baptism book, asked his daddy and I questions and looked through the Bible with me to find the answers for several weeks now. I was so proud to stand in front of other moms and dads and know that my little boy GOT IT!!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not being boastful at all! As parents we know how hard it is to get our children to listen to most, if any of what we say. With all of the "worldly" things that we encounter and sadly let creep into our daily lives, our faith is sometimes not the most discussed topic at the dinner table. It's often a little easier when they're smaller because we can point Jesus out in the most simple activities and things around us. But as they grow they begin to lose interest really quick in the stuff that worked before like "Thank God for the flowers and the sky and the air we breathe and the rain that helps the plants grow for food..."
These days I find myself in the car with my now 9yr. old little boy replacing those comments with silent prayers asking for teaching opportunities and new ways to relate to him with out being a mushy mom! The truth is I'm not good at the mushy mom thing either so I'm kinda stuck!!! I stumble through everyday hanging on for the times when he hears a song on Air 1 and asks for and explanation or when he remarks about why I didn't react a certain way to someone elses ungodly behavior so I can use that time to explain why I am trying to lead by example and show God's love through my own behavior. So WOW, to stand beside him and listen to him speak so boldly for his Lord knowing all the while that I always feel like I'm just one moment away from total failure and losing my son to the proverbial "dark side" was a moment I will never forget as long as I live!!
I only hope that you moms out there barely hanging on like I am will take comfort in this little piece of my life and know that even though you may not feel like you are moving mountains, as long as you are praying for your child and doing everything you can to let him/her see God in your life I believe that Jesus will stand in the gap for you and lend a helping hand whether you see Him do it or not. Beside, it's not for US to move those mountains anyway!!! There's someone BIGGER for that.

Candie